This invention relates to a slot cutter, mortise maker, doweling and drill press device, which operate along two axis and may be hand held. The device is adjustable to accommodate different thickness and width of wood and operates at different speeds depending upon the work being performed.
The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,905 to Hargis, et al, which discloses a toolholder with a removable head wherein a toolholder apparatus is provided for holding a cutting tool adjacent a rotating workpiece. This apparatus includes a mounting block base and a mounting block body slidably supported on the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,895 to Leaf, discloses a portable drill mechanism characterized by a support post, a drill support assembly coupled to the support post and clamping members removably attached to the support post. While this patent discloses a drill press mechanism employing an electric handheld drill, the main gist of the invention is the adjustment mechanism for moving the electric drill in a pre-determined manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,929 to Aziz, et al , discloses a dowel maker having a first rough sizing blade attached to a body with a micro-adjust assembly for adjusting blade position and a second finish-cutting blade also attached to a body with a micro-adjust assembly for adjusting blade position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,879 to Costa , discloses a handheld drill press for enabling a power hand drill to be converted into a drill press. Basically, the invention includes a hollow cylindrical sleeve having an open upper end and an open lower end and cylindrical sidewalls therebetween. The drill press is positioned in the open end.
Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,784 to Morikawa, et al; patent 5,273,092 to Shibata; U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,300 to Rogers; U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,082 to Ruhimann, et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,599 to Staiger.
None of the foregoing patents appear to disclose the inventive concepts involving the multipurpose hand held tool of this intention.
This invention relates to a unique multipurpose tool, which can be used for such disparate operations as drilling, slot cutting, doweling and mortise and tenon making. The tool functions along two axes and at different predetermined speeds. In other words, the tool can act either as a router or a drill and can be hand held. Portability is a feature of this invention.
The invention comprises a motor mounted on a track and moveable back and forth along said track with a cylindrical cutting bit for slot cutting. A drill bit or center cut end mill is mounted to one end of the motor and extends outwardly for dowel cutting. Hole saws, carbide bits and drills are also used when used as drill press. Bracket arms extend upwardly on each side of the track base and are joined by a transverse apertured portion extending across the track. A plate having an aperture adjacent the bracket aperture is mounted thereto on one side and includes a track mounted to the upper and lower portion thereof, which engages the upper and lower portion of the transverse bracket portion. This permits movement of the plate perpendicularly to the bracket and motor. An adjustable plastic member with a scale marked thereon and having a slotted aperture is mounted to the other side of the plate and a support member having an oval aperture and a horizontal support portion is adjustably mounted thereto to support a workpiece.
The apertures are aligned to guide the cutting tool in various operations such as slot cutting in two planes, drilling, etc. The motor slides on the track to perform a cutting or drilling operation while the support may be moved at a right angle thereto to create a slot.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved economical tool for drilling, slot cutting, dowel hole cutting and mortise and tenon making.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved hand held cutting tool for a variety of operations which functions in two planes.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved cutting and drilling tool that includes a track mounted cutting tool and motor that is precisely positioned with regard to a workpiece held on an integral support.
A more specific object of this invention is to provide a new and improved portable tool for drilling and cutting including a track mounted motor and cylindrical cutting bit and fence/slide assembly that is coupled to the motor for transverse movement relative thereto.